The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-07-30
WlLllE'S ELEPHANT.
Its Wonderful Construction and UntimeIy
End-A Sad Catastrophe.

standing on a shaded lawn, and coming
in at the driveway gate boy with
rosy cheeks and the proud conscious
ness that he has not lived in win. He
had been at school, but somehow he
was not coming home as early as might
have been, and he had in his heart 4
little dread of his aunt Nancy; but she
only looked pleasant, as if she remem-
bcred boyhood days of her own. and he
ate his supper and went out to do his
evening work.
But there was something on his
mind. Hitherto he had fed the chick
ems most leisurely, but tonight he pro-
ceeded with such unseemly haste that
they were obliged to swallow each kerr
mel whole; and he filled the wood box
in twinkling, and drove the COW so
fast that she had no pleasure in liv-
ing. Then prudently emitting to ask
his aunt Nancy if she would Ike him
to do anything else, he HE'D
him to the cornfeld and selected
small and gorgeous pumpkin and bore
it to his den-a structure that he had
long before erected in secluded cor
ner of the door-yard fence Then he
gathered up his aunt Nancy's clothes
pole and long stick that leaned against
plum-tree, and adding them to his
store went up into the attic over the
wood-shed and possessed himself of
two horns that once graced the head of
an ox-dead now and forgotten. These,
with a darning-needle and goodly
bunch of Irvine, and later, in the dark
ness. five armfuls of hay, he added to
the general fund, and then, going to
bed, slept the sleep of the well-satisfied.
At school, this Friday afternoon, the
teacher had read aloud to her geogra-
ply class little story of tiger-hunt in
India, and had shown them a picture of
a native, standing in state by the side
of an elephant arrayed in all the
trappings of war; Now this
elephant had taken firm
hold of Willie, the boy going home to
the farmhouse, and the moment school
was dismissed he gathered together
four of his school-mates, and taking
them off to the beech-tree by the road
side, unfolded to them a magnifcen.
plan.
Tomorrow would be Saturday, he
said, and Aunt Nancy was going away,
and wouldn't be back till dark, and
the boys must come over to his house,
and they would make an elephant.
Not real fesh-and-blood elephant, he
was pleased to explain, but something
that should look like one, and that
could climb trees. He had been think
ing about it ever since the geography
class recited, he said, and he knew Just
how to do it-all but the head; he
conldn't think of any way to make the
head.
The boys accepted the invito ton, but
they sat SO long building in fancy the
wondrous beast, that as Willie went up
the driveway his shadow lay out long
behind him, drawn by the setting sun.
On Saturday mornings Willie might
sleep as long as he liked, but this Sat-
urday morning he arose betimes, and
began to wait for the afternoon. 1t
camel am told that all things come
to him who waits-and Aunt Nancy
went away for her visit. Willie, finish
ing his last after-dinner task, saw the
boys coming in at the gate. He went
to meet them, and forthwith the ele-
plant was in the midst of being pre-
pared.
They made his body first, laying Will
lies two poles parallel and some three
feet apart, and resting them at one end
on board of the fence and at the 9TH
er on a saw-horse. Then they laid
across them some shorter sticks, and
upon these just hay enough to make
him look well fed and respectable, and
covered him over with Aunt Nancy's
brown blanket, which made for him
worthy and durable skin. Then at the
front of him they placed an ox-horn on
the end of each pole; but he
looked too broad-chested, and they
drew those ends of the poles
nearer together, COMPRISING his
lungs, l fear. Besides the
clothes-pole branched out at the end
into two prongs, SO that one of the
horns turned off sidewise, making the
poor creature look cross-eyed.
This part of him was simple, but the
head required thought. Willie had
spent sleepless hours that forenoon
planning it, and now he drew out into
view phosphate sack. A phosphate
sack carries an odious smell, but the
boys said they did not mind trihe like
that, and soon Willie had cut round
hole in the bag and sewed into the hole
with his needle and Irvine piece of
last nights pumpkin. This was an
eye, but the boys were shocked at its
size, and he made the other one small;
and the canvass flinged out as he
sewed it and formed graceful eye
lashes.
Then the boys twisted up the lower
part of the bag for trunk, and stuffed
the upper part with hay for a head;
and Willie, who was chief tailor to his